As Nick Castellanos prepares to finalize his decision whether to opt-out of his contract and re-enter free agency over the upcoming week, there’s an alternate universe where the Cincinnati Reds could’ve had his spot filled by one of the outfielders in the World Series.
The Reds traded Adam Duvall to Atlanta before the 2018 trade deadline, receiving pitcher Lucas Sims in return. Houston Astros sparkplug José Sirí was a highly-regarded prospect in the Reds’ farm system before he was designated for assignment when the Reds signed Castellanos prior to the 2020 season.
It wasn’t much of a surprise that the Reds moved on from either of the two players.